Mitryasova, O. CHRONICLES OF THIRST: DOCUMENTING MYKOLAIV'S WATER SECURITY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN A WAR-AFFECTED CITY: Monograph. Mykolaiv: PMBSNU, 2026, 124 p.

CHRONICLES OF THIRST: DOCUMENTING MYKOLAIV'S WATER SECURITY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN A WAR-AFFECTED CITY waste, pesticides from the fields of the Kherson region and heavy metals had been deposited for years. This cocktail of chemicals gushed into the Southern Buh and Ingul. For Mykolaiv residents who used water from the estuary for technical needs, this meant that the already aggressive environment in the pipes became even more dangerous. The water changed not only its chemical composition, but also its color and smell, becoming cloudy and heavy. The biggest challenge for city services and residents was the bacteriological condition of rivers. The water, which flooded hundreds of cattle burial grounds, cemeteries, sewer sedimentation tanks and cesspools on its way, has become an ideal breeding ground for dangerous microorganisms. The corpses of animals that the current nailed to the Mykolaiv shores only aggravated the situation, creating a risk of outbreaks of cholera, dysentery and hepatitis A. It was during this period that a strict ban on swimming, fishing and the use of river water even for the simplest economic purposes was introduced in Mykolaiv. For the frontline city, where the river has always been a place of psychological relief, empty beaches flooded with dirty water have become a symbol of a new, even deeper isolation. Water quality control became a matter of national security: laboratories worked around the clock, monitoring indicators that went off scale according to all sanitary standards. Hitting alternative sources The special drama of the situation was that the rise of polluted river water began to affect the state of groundwater. Many water distribution points in the city and private wells, on which residents had high hopes, were at risk. Rising river levels put pressure on aquifers, which could lead to infections and toxins entering underground sources. Mykolaiv residents, who have already learned how to be professional logisticians and save every liter, are now faced with a new phobia: is the water they collect in wells near the coast safe? Even the reverse osmosis systems at the issuing points required more frequent replacement of filters due to the increased turbidity and chemical load of the incoming water. The price of "big water" Thus, the Kakhovka tragedy for Mykolaiv was not an episode of flooding, but an environmental sentence for many months. If the Kherson region struggled with the destructive force of the flow, then Mykolaiv entered into a long struggle with its poisonous consequences. The city was once again convinced: water is not just a liquid in pipes or a river, it is a vulnerable system that the enemy tried to poison at all levels — from the centralized water intake to the last coastal well. This experience finally imprinted in the minds of the townspeople: the real value is not just water, but its purity and safety. This created a critical situation for those residents of Mykolaiv who used private wells or wells in the coastal zone. The rise of river water caused a change in pressure in underground horizons, which led to groundwater pollution. Since the city 49